Lee held it up and the man handed him the bag. “Thanks for answering the page. Here are her things. The doctor will be out shortly, after surgery, to update you.”
Lee opened the bag enough to see Kendra’s clothes, folded, and the white gold wedding band she wore. He took the nearest chair, far enough away from listening ears.
“I think it’s time you have this.” Audrey pressed a flash drive into his hand.
Lee looked between the silver object and Audrey. His blood burned hot. “Is this from—”
“Yes. Don’t be mad. I had no idea if I should trust you or not. I’m still not sure exactly what mess I’ve landed in. And to be fair, I didn’t realize Adam had put something in my purse until a few minutes ago. I thought he was trying to steal from me.”
Lee took a deep breath in through the nose. His partner was in surgery and her lookalike had no inkling of what was at stake on the mission. Anger wouldn’t benefit anyone.
He rolled the drive in between his fingers. Two caps bookended either end of the drive. He flipped off one side to find the standard USB adapter but the other cap was designed for iPhones. He inserted the adapter into the charging port. The screen flashed an encryption notice.
“I’m going to need you to look away.”
She rolled her eyes and twisted her torso in the opposite direction. Lee keyed in his credentials and opened the FBI software to read the contents. An image of Lee and Kendra popped up on the screen with the covers they’d started developing three years ago. Lately, he’d started to wonder if he would ever get to be himself again.
The notice listed an address Lee recognized and tomorrow’s date. Adam had made the referral happen.
From what Lee and Kendra had gathered before the meet, a referral meant the CEO of the Masked Network was planning to meet them and had their photos to boot. Their covers would’ve been investigated and held up to scrutiny.
Except, Lee and Kendra’s covers were a package deal. Kendra would in no way be recovered in time, but if she didn’t go, the network would want to confirm where she was and why she didn’t show.
Any unnecessary attention could lead them to discover Audrey and, worse, the discovery of Adam’s death, which would prompt the network to go farther underground than ever. If Lee lost the chance to take the network down, more senseless assassination orders like the murder of Diego, the teenage boy he’d mentored in Seattle, would continue to happen without law enforcement being able to find evidence. If clients of the Masked Network were ever arrested, they only had to say three little words and their phones would automatically erase all data. Lee had seen it happen with his own eyes.
A man in scrubs, complete with cap and a surgical mask hanging from his neck, exited the double doors at the end of the room. He approached the nursing station, and an attendant pointed at Audrey. Lee unplugged the drive from the phone and pocketed it. He placed a hand on Audrey’s back as they were led to a consultation room the size of an office cubicle.
The doctor’s dark brown eyes and kind smile focused on Audrey. “We think your sister is going to make it.” He finally looked at Lee. “We removed the bullet from your wife. It missed the brachial artery by a fraction of a centimeter. We’ll need to keep a careful eye on—”
“What about her head? She hit the ground hard.”
Lee inhaled deeply at Audrey’s interruption. He wanted to hear everything the doctor had to say.
“There was a small fracture of the skull.”
It was as if cold liquid ran through Lee’s bones. Audrey placed her hand over her mouth.
The doctor shook his head. “Believe it or not, it’s actually a good thing in this situation. The skull works as a helmet of sorts, and the crack will hopefully work to prevent swelling. We don’t see any signs of brain damage at this point, but we will need to watch for any symptoms of nerve injuries or bleeding.” He leaned back, seemingly pleased. “Everything went well today. She’s just going to need a lot of rest to heal up.”
The doctor leaned forward and asked if they had any other questions. Lee remained silent and let Audrey question him on other possible things that could go wrong. Lee preferred to worry when there was actually a problem to address. And right now the biggest problem was the upcoming mission.
If Audrey went for his idea, she would be in danger, but if she refused, she’d likely be in even more danger. He owed it to Kendra to make the right decision.
“My understanding is the police are on the way, and they’ll want to talk to you. And my nurse will be in shortly to ask you some more routine questions.”
Audrey fell silent and the doctor finally exited, leaving them alone on the padded bench. Her light green eyes met his again. He had the oddest sensation that each time she did that she could figure out his thoughts, something he never worried about with his partner.
She tilted her head. “Is this sort of thing old hat for you? Getting shot at and waiting to see if a colleague survives?” She threw a thumb over her shoulder before he could answer. “And did you notice? The doctor didn’t even ask why someone was shooting at her.”
“They have their training. Someone is required to report a gunshot to the police—we should be gone before the questions start—but you’re right. These guys are focused on saving lives. There’s no time or place to stop and judge.”
“It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. Their job, your job, so many people trained to do the right thing automatically without question.” She blushed, a rosy spread across her cheeks.
His job was nothing worth envying, at least most of the time, but he didn’t want to discourage her impression. If she admired the career then it would make what he was about to propose easier, though.
She slumped against the back of the bench. “In my career we have to second-guess everything we do. We have to prove ourselves, that our pursuit is worthwhile and has the potential to make a difference every step of the way.” She sighed. “I don’t know why I told you that. I like my job. I do. It’s just... I want to make sense of what happened—is happening—today, and I don’t have even an inkling of how to do that.”
He wasn’t going to help matters. “Remember when I said agreeing to be an asset would mean you might be called upon sometime?”
“It was ten minutes ago.” She blinked hard once.
“I’m not insulting your memory. This drive had more information than I expected.”
Her eyebrows rose but she remained silent.
“Adam was successful in referring us to the Masked Network.”
“That’s great, isn’t it?”
“Kendra’s photograph was sent to the head of the Masked Network.” He paused, and as he hoped, her eyes widened with understanding. “If she doesn’t come that likely warrants—”
“Attention.” She gasped. “And Kendra was wearing my name when the shooter took down Adam. Do you even know for sure that Adam was the target?”
“By all accounts, it seems that was the case. The raid of the drug trafficking group Adam took down accounted for all members. The only one missing was a man scheduled for initiation tonight. Low risk as he’s not on the network yet, but he might’ve seen what went down and pegged Adam as the traitor. My guess is he’ll be the shooter Kendra took down.”
“You said referrals to the Masked Network could only happen by high-ranking members of criminal enterprises on the network, right? So when you arrested the drug group, what about the phones?”
Lee grinned. Audrey caught on so fast, he was certain this would be easy. “The FBI used a sonic device so no one could utter those words to erase the phones. They were all confiscated. The arrests aren’t public knowledge, but that’s part of the time crunch. We can’t keep it a secret forever, but if we get evidence and a facial identification of the CEO, those phones can be used as leverage to get them to talk and take the whole network down.”
/> “You want me to be a spy, don’t you?” Her words were loud, clipped and, despite being in the consultation room, two heads from opposite directions leaned from their chairs to look at Lee and Audrey.
Audrey cleared her throat. “Because playing I Spy feels childish, even if it does pass the time.” She stood and paced before she whispered. “Think they bought it?”
Lee hung his head. “Probably.” She was a quick thinker, albeit a little unbelievable in her delivery. “Though we are actually special agents. Not spies.”
She shrugged. “Semantics. Look up the synonyms for spy, and I’m sure undercover special agent is somewhere on the list.” She sat down next to him, so close he could smell the vanilla and rose-scented fabric softener from her clothes. “What exactly does taking her place involve?” she asked, this time in hushed tones.
“We have a very well-developed cover in place. Essentially we turn dirty money into clean—”
“Laundering money.” She blew out a long breath. “You’re asking me to pretend to be a criminal?”
“Kendra’s cover is known to be very good at what she does. It’s not as if you would have to do anything. If anyone asks, you want to offer services to some criminal enterprises higher up on the food chain, but staying under the radar requires a little help from Masked. I’m the right-hand man and an excellent lawyer and visionary so I should be able to do all the talking. We go in and shake some hands, get on the network and get out with the evidence. I’ll ensure your safety before the team goes in and takes down the CEO.”
“A fact-finding mission.” She crossed her legs and leaned back. “So I would play the part of a smart, ambitious criminal with an equally immoral husband?” She placed a finger on her chin and shook her head. “I’m not sure. I once had a nightmare that I made a mistake on my tax deductions. I woke up in a panic and ended up in the hospital.”
He reared back. “Why? A heart attack?”
“No. Ulcer.” She sighed. “Well, I thought I had an ulcer. Turned out my bedtime snack of jalapeño poppers coupled with Google searches at three in the morning weren’t a good idea. What I’m saying is that this is going to be a stretch for me. But I’ve also lived my life feeling like there was a giant puzzle piece missing, and finding Kendra...” She clasped her hands together and shook her head. “I’m desperate for the day when we can get to know each other without danger over either of our heads so I’ll do it. But I have conditions.”
Well, of course she did because nothing was going to be easy today. “Come on. We’ll get a quick blood draw and DNA swab for the Bureau on our way out.”
“For the Bureau?”
“They’ll want definitive proof whether you’re twins or not. In my view, it’s extraneous. But that way you and Kendra will have no doubts.”
If Audrey took Kendra’s place, she’d definitely be in danger, but at least he could be in control of keeping her safe. If she didn’t go through with the mission, he couldn’t foresee the threat ever going away. This was their only chance.
THREE
Audrey had a twin sister, a spy, who was pretend-married to a gorgeous, intelligent and compassionate man. She replayed the thought in her mind, hoping it would help her accept the reality faster. She twisted the tassels hanging from her purse zipper as tight as they could go as she rode the hotel elevator with Lee.
On a normal day it would be a lot to handle, but the news she needed to take Kendra’s place in an undercover mission rattled her. A few terse sentences, without knowing Kendra was shot, probably didn’t give the most accurate impression of a person. How was Audrey supposed to impersonate a sister she didn’t know, while pretending to be a white-collar criminal?
The elevators opened and she stiffened. Lee expected her to try on Kendra’s clothes—she hoped they fit—and practice mastering the persona of the cover, but all Audrey wanted to do was to go to bed. At one in the morning, her eyes struggled to stay open. Yet, one of the conditions she’d given Lee involved going over every detail of the operation several times before she made her final decision.
She’d read spies were trained in the art of manipulation, so she wondered if Lee could see right through her attempts to act confident and bold. The truth was she’d already decided she’d do whatever it took to keep her sister safe, but she wanted leverage to make sure she got enough details to feel properly equipped for the mission. Success came from the details in her line of work.
Lee pointed to the room at the far end of the hall. He pulled out a key card and opened the door. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”
She’d been up since seven in the morning, Eastern Time, which was 4:00 a.m. Pacific Time. That meant she’d been awake—ugh. Math after being awake over twenty-one hours didn’t come naturally. “You have your own room, right? Not just like separate beds?”
Lee nodded.
She exhaled, relieved. It was odd to think if they hadn’t met on campus, they would’ve met at the hotel since Kendra had already checked in under Audrey’s name and upgraded her reservation. All she wanted was her favorite yoga pants, T-shirt and a pair of fuzzy socks. Kendra probably only packed pajamas made with fashion in mind. The only thing Audrey had was the purse wrapped across her torso. Her luggage was who knew where as the airline still hadn’t called to let her know it had been found, and the rest of her apartment belongings would take their sweet time in a moving truck scheduled to arrive in Pasadena after three weeks.
Lee turned to walk back down the hallway when he stopped at the very next door. He slipped a card into the lock while sporting a broad grin. She flashed a sheepish smile and waved as she closed the door behind her.
She kicked her shoes off at the closet. Her feet stung after being in flats without arch support all day long, but the plush carpet underneath her toes relaxed her. She took two steps before a man’s silhouette appeared. She gasped and jumped back as Lee’s face came into view.
“Don’t worry. I’m just closing the connecting doors.” Lee shrugged. “It doesn’t seem like you are up for hearing how we usually do things, so how about I explain everything tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Exhaustion made it hard to utter more than a word. She closed the additional door on her side behind him and flipped the dead bolt. A suitcase rested on a luggage rack.
Audrey took a deep breath. It felt like snooping without permission, but desperate times... She lifted the top to reveal two very different wardrobes. On the right, sophisticated outfits, many in black, were neatly folded. On the left, a jumble of unfolded activewear, hoodies and T-shirts beckoned. She’d never been so thankful for someone else’s wardrobe.
The pajamas slipped on, neither too tight nor loose. The knot behind her shoulder blade relaxed as she stretched and found socks in the zippered compartment along with a leather-bound wallet. She gingerly opened it.
The top half read “Federal Bureau of Investigation” with a photograph of Kendra Parker. She said the name aloud. Her sister’s real last name was Parker. Were the Parkers all law enforcement agents?
Audrey let her fingers glide over the protective cover. What would it have been like if she’d grown up with her? Would they have switched places so many times for various reasons it would’ve been old hat by now? Would Audrey have taken all Kendra’s science and math tests while Kendra made sure they both won the Presidential Fitness Award? Her fingers slid down to the gold badge and felt the engraved words “Department of Justice.” Audrey’s heart ached for her sister, clinging to life in the hospital.
The sheets on the queen bed closest to the window looked untouched whereas the other bed’s comforter was rolled up on one side. Audrey noted her sister hated for the sheets to be tucked in at the bottom corners, just like she did. She pulled out the sheets of her bed and closed her eyes the moment her head hit the pillow.
The sound of a hammer, a relentless pounding, dragged her eyes right back open.
A piercing, beeping sound flooded the lit room. She’d forgotten to turn the lights off, especially disconcerting since she had no idea how much time had passed.
“Audrey! It’s Lee. Open up!”
She sat up and tried to focus on her surroundings. She could see but couldn’t process through the brain fog. Oh, yeah, she was in a hotel room.
“Coming.” Her voice croaked. She took a sip from the water bottle on her nightstand. The beeping continued. “Coming!” She tried to shout louder. Did she smell smoke? The air looked hazy, but it was hard to tell since her vision was so blurry from sleep. Her muscles objected as she shuffled, acting as if they’d been dispatched to swim through quicksand. She flipped the lock and opened the connecting door.
Lee’s concerned face looked her up and down. Audrey glanced down, making sure she was still appropriate. Yep. She’d picked silver yoga pants and a long shirt that read, Do Not Disturb: In Training For Sleep Marathon.
Lee held a gun in his right hand, which he slid into the band of his jeans and covered with a royal blue polo. “I can’t get confirmation if there’s a real fire or not. No one’s answering the front desk. I need you to stay with me just in case. Slip your shoes on, please.”
Alertness rushed up her spine. She shoved her feet inside her flats, the same ones she’d worn all day yesterday. “Just how long have you been trying to wake me up?”
He reached for her hand, and she let him take it. “Maybe thirty seconds. Come on.” They rushed through the door into the hallway. It sounded as if the phones in their rooms started ringing. Maybe to tell everyone the fire was real? Her throat tightened at what they might be about to face.
Despite the overhead lights still on, strobes flashed at incremental spots. She kept her gaze down to avoid a migraine, since her head already felt as if it’d been left in a vise.
“I tell you what, though,” Lee said as he opened the door to the stairs and released her hand. “If I’m going to keep you safe there will be no more locking doors inside a suite we share. I need to be able to get to you.”
Undercover Twin Page 3